On a recent post I mentioned that Abingdon Vases are often for sale on Ebay.
The Abingdon Sanitary Manufacturing Company produced toilets in Abingdon Illinois from the early 1900s.
During the great depression, when demand for sanitaryware hit rock bottom, the company diversified in 1934 to produce decorative vases using the same china.
An increase in the demand for sanitaryware in 1950 meant they stopped producing the vases. The company is still in business today, part of Briggs Industries, Inc., where you can still order Abingdon sanitaryware.
To find out more about the vases press here. For memories about the factory press here.
Good stuff backstreeter,
How apt that they were making toilets when our very own Queen Victoria was on the throne!
Indeed they were Daniel the inventor being Arthur Craper of Cowley, his family are still around here and I wonder how many people can remember Crapers coaches of Oxford?
Thomas Crapper (1836-1904) was born in Yorkshire and some time after 1861 he set up a business in London for the manufacture and sale of flushing toilets, which had been invented in 1596 by John Harington.
The S-bend was invented in 1775 by Alexander cumming while the first practical toilet was due to Joseph Bramah in 1778.
Crapper held a number of patents, including an improvement to the ballcock.
The slang, ‘to go for a crap’, appears to have nothing to do with Crapper.
Hot of the press Costa are opening in the Gaol !
Really Captain!? To tie in these two topics…how crap!
Do you know, is this an “as well as”, or “instead of”? And, how will that affect the forward thinking business plans put forward for the Guildhall revamp – that includes….a coffee shop?
What the town could really do with, is another opticians.
Still, we have a big Superdrug, and the flowers look great; so shouldn’t really grumble. I’m quite sure the BID will be putting the cherry on Abingdon’s cake any day now…